Page 74 of Reckless Chance
“Who hired him?” Sean asks.
“He claims not to know. He was hired through a website where actors can post their credentials and availability for gigs. The website looks legit. He received the cash payment by mail, but unfortunately, didn’t save the envelope.”
“Did he know whether Mr. Galanis is really Mr. Brentwood’s heir?” Sean asks.
“No. He hadn’t met Mr. Galanis before that day, and they parted ways as soon as they left the Athena. According to the actor, Galanis wasn’t very talkative before or after their meeting with you. He doesn’t think Galanis was the person who hired him. Greyson said that after your meeting, he suspected that his role was a scam instead of a prank. He turned down a request to follow up with you about a settlement offer. We’re reaching out to the website owner to see if they will share the name of the user who hired the actor. But we’re not holding our breath. The website owner will probably insist on a subpoena. Even if we receive the info, the user may have provided fake info.”
“Did you arrest Greyson?” I ask.
“We passed along the information to the district attorney. It will be up to her as to whether he’s charged, but given the facts, it’s unlikely. We can still use the threat to make a deal with him if we need his help.”
“Thanks for letting us know. Keep us posted if you learn more,” Sean says, shaking the detective’s hand.
39
SEAN
Evan, Bri, Lowri, and I converge on our dinner table and find one of the six chairs is already occupied by a stately, gray-haired man. I can’t help laughing as he stands.
“What’s funny?” Lowri asks.
“It’s an inside joke from college. Play along, and I’ll explain later.”
“I can do that, but I’ll want all the details,” she says with a wink.
“Professor Simon, it’s been a long time,” I say, patting him on the back.
In a weathered, husky voice, the professor says, “It has been. Thank you for inviting me tonight. It’s such a pleasure to see you and Evan again.”
“We’re glad you could join us tonight. Have a seat. Evan and I will take the ones on either side.”
We have a round table for six, so I pull out the chair to my right for Lowri, and Bri takes the chair on the other side of my wife. We leave a chair between Evan and Bri for Cassie in case she joins us during the evening.
Evan and Bri know who’s hiding behindProfessor Simon’sdisguise but don’t know why he’s making an appearance tonight.In contrast, Lowri knew I’ve been looking for Simon, but she doesn’t know who he really is. It’s going to make for an interesting evening. I hope the good professor has the answers he owes me.
“Excellent. Are you going to introduce me to the lovely lady next to you?” Prof. Simon asks.
“Forgive me. This is Lowri Upton. Lowri, meet Prof. Simon. Professor, I believe you know everyone else.”
They shake hands and everyone takes a seat.
“This is a wonderful surprise. Sean didn’t mention you would be here tonight,” Evan says.
“It was a last-minute decision. Enough about me, let’s talk about what’s important,” the professor says.
“What’s that?” Bri asks.
“Food, of course. Have you looked at the tasting menu for tonight? I can’t wait to try everything,” he says, holding up a printed card that lists each course.
As we’re discussing it, Cassie emerges from the kitchen and steps to the center of the room, wireless microphone in hand.
“Welcome. I’m Cassandra Edwards, better known as Cassie. Thank you for joining us tonight. As you all know, I’m here as the result of a cooking competition. The theme for one of the rounds of that contest was ‘Comfort with a Flair.’ At the time, my mind raced trying to figure out what that meant. The theme could have different meanings to different people. It could refer to comfort food with an unusual twist. Or it could be fancy preparation and plating of a traditional comfort food. Neither of those seemed quite sufficient for the Grand Athena, which represents luxury in everything. That led me to wonder if we were intended to create an upscale experience based on comfort food concepts. Ultimately, I decided the goal was to deliver all three. While I’m not sure that I completely accomplished that goal duringthe fast-paced competition, I hope we’ve achieved that special experience for you tonight. Please enjoy!”
The crowd breaks into applause, cheering as Cassie takes a bow and leaves the dining room. Paxton, aka Prof. Simon, uses that moment to learn toward me, whispering, “I have the information you want. Can we talk somewhere private after dinner?”
“We can go to my office when this is over.”
Before Paxton can say anything else, Emily approaches me. “Sean, the wine you requested will be brought down next.”
